Friday Cardinal Couple -- More Bears

FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-Just another bunch of Bears.

-Lacrosse today!

Just when the Lady Cards thought it was safe to continue up the trail to the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament title, another bunch of Bears are in the path. This group is of west coast variety...Cal Bears...and, while not as tall or widely known as their Texas counterparts...still just as dangerous and appear to be fully out of hibernation.

Coached by relatively unknown (but hugely successful) Lindsay Gottlieb, Cal has put up a 32-3 record on the season...losing only to Duke in early December, Stanford on January 8th. and to UCLA in their second game of the PAC-12 Tournament.

The Bears were picked by a lot of writers to finish second in the PAC-12 and a check of our CARDINAL COUPLE Pick' Em contest showed that 25% of the entries had Cal going to the Final Four.

In the NCAA Tournament, they opened with a thumping of Fresno State 90-76 and squeaked by South Florida in overtime 82-78 in Lubbock. USF came from 10 points down late to force the extra five minutes.

Moving to Spokane for the regional, UC sent LSU home with a 73-63 defeat and eliminated underdog Georgia 65-62 in overtime. They were the #2 seed in the Spokane regional and avoided a third game with #1 seed Stanford in the regional finals after Georgia pulled the upset.

Lindsay is also an expert at the
macarana...as seen here.

"It's hard to argue that Louisville is the hottest team in the country right now. They're clearly an exciting offensive team. They put a lot of fine players on the court at one time and we're going to have a challenge to slow them down." -- Lindsay Gottlieb

(We should also note we contacted Ms. Gottlieb about an e-mail interview several days ago. One of her administrative interns sent a response e-mail that Lindsay would be glad to answer the questions we sent later that evening. That was two days ago. It is the left coast, however. Or maybe we just got 'catfished'...)

It's California's first trip to the Final Four and Lindsay's as well. She was Joanne Boyle's assistant at UC before taking the UCSB head coaching job a few years ago. When Boyle departed, Gottlieb was offered and accepted the job last season.

So which Bear will try and keep Shoni contained? We expect

Cal sophomore Brittany Boyd will draw that unenviable assignment. Boyd is also the second leading scorer for UC with 12.6 ppg a game. Top honors go to Layshia Clarendon with 16.4 points a contest. The Bears average 72.8 points a game while allowing just 58.3...and outrebounded their foes prior to Louisville by 11.3 a game.

Throw all that out the window and give it a David Akers kick as well. Statistics have meant nothing to the Lady Cards over the last three games.

Purdue...rough, tough and BIG 10 Tournament champs. Currently back in West Lafayette or on Spring Break. A #4 seed that played like a #14.

"Don't you know who I am and why am I not winning?"

Baylor. Oh, yes...Baylor. #1 seed, #1 in the nation and #1 in most fans hearts and minds. A 28-point favorite in Vegas to beat UofL. Someone forgot to tell Shoni, Nita and Mo. Mulkey getting some early, unexpected flower-planting and mulching time in currently...when she's not whining on podcasts or TV about the horrific abuse that her precious darlings received from those mean-spirited Cardinal girls...and the unjust, horrific referees who conspired to turn a women's basketball game into a MMA event.

Tennessee. Came out bewildered, baffled and blown away by Louisville's defense and audacity to challenge them on the boards. Holly Warlick did a fine job in her first year as the head Volunteer. Maybe she needed a few more hours of community service or a book on the Schimmel sisters. She's back in "Orangeville"...probably hoping Mercedes Russell missed viewing the game.

Win or lose Sunday, it's been one heck of a fun and wild ride for Louisville WBB. The team that so many turned their back on after the loss to Kentucky. A guard that people said weighed too much, shot too often and never played defense. A coach who couldn't prevent opponent runs, didn't play the right combinations and wasn't kind and gentle enough with his players. A collection of not-ready-for prime time underachievers and timid prima donnas...according to some. Or thugs and villains, according to others.

A team in the Final Four.

They may be ugly ducklings and party crashers...but they are OUR quackers and interlopers...and we couldn't be prouder, happier or anymore in love with them.

They've been through the season from hell, as far as injuries go...but still smile like heavenly angels and play like possessed demons.

And all you can do is just smile. Hollywood couldn't have written a better script or plot line. Just one question, if it were to go to film...

Who would play the evil Waco witch Kim?  

-Paulie

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Cortnee Daley is a freshman mid-fielder for
the UofL Lacrosse team.

Lacrosse returns home today after a month on the road to play rival Notre Dame. Got two great interviews with Cortnee Daley and Kay Morissette Wednesday on campus while waiting for the WBB bus to pull up at the SAC...but you'll have to listen to the CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO SHOW Saturday to hear them. All I can say is...if I liked lacrosse before, I'm absolutely enamored with it now. Two very nice, polite and exuberant young women, those two.

Notre Dame is currently #7 in the nation, so a Louisville win would be the highest ranked opponent to fall to the Cross Cards in Louisville Lacrosse history. 

We think you should go to the Lacrosse game today. Starts at 5 p.m. You're gonna have a good time and you may even see a couple of CARDINAL COUPLE staffers out there as well. Or chimps. We never really know for sure...

Free pizza for UofL students. I'll find a way to circumvent that...

If you can't make the Friday game, they play again on Sunday at noon against Marquette. It's Marquette's first year in Lacrosse...but their head coach is a former Notre Dame assistant. Also, Marquette does not play in the BIG EAST in Lacrosse...but Loyola, MD does. Go figure.

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